'Oliver!' to be Performed on Stage in Muswellbrook

'Oliver!' Rehearsals

'Oliver!' will be presented next month by Muswellbrook Amateur Theatrical Society (MATS Inc.) in conjunction with the Muswellbrook Shire Concert Band.  'Oliver!'  is Lionel Bart's classic musical, based on the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. Many well known favourite songs are featured in 'Oliver!' such as: “Consider Yourself”, “Food, Glorious Food”, and “I’d Do Anything”.

Ryan Langford, Assistant Director, said “Oliver!” was chosen as a sequel to MATS highly successful production of “Annie” in 2010 as it offered numerous roles for young people, in particular, boys and young men. Benjamin Paradice, a MATS newcomer from Wingen, was encouraged to audition by Marina Lee-Warner who portrayed Mrs Hannigan in “Annie”. Ben will be acting the part of Oliver Twist. Isabella Hardy from Singleton, who starred in “Annie”, will be playing the role of Charlotte Sowerberry, the undertaker’s daughter. Marcus Garrett, who played Daddy Warbucks in “Annie”, will once again grace the MATS stage as Fagin. Many loyal MATS performers have returned for our production of “Oliver” as well as many new faces. “Oliver!” also sees the return of Rachel-Ann Wilcher as producer and Learna Christie as director.

Ryan said MATS Inc is a very family orientated organization and this is highlighted this year with many of the cast members being brother and sister or child and parent as part of the 80 plus cast & crew. Some members of the “Annie” cast auditioned again for “Oliver” and this time brought along family members to audition and they were lucky enough to score a role.

'Oliver!' Rehearsals

Auditions were held just after Easter 2012 and Ryan said they were surprised by the number of applicants, as it far exceeded expectation. Rehearsals for the cast commenced the following week. In late July the cast had their first rehearsal with the Muswellbrook Shire Concert Band.

Ryan said MATS Inc is grateful to the Muswellbrook Workers Club for providing a venue for them to stage this production. One of the challenges the group faces each production is not having a designated performing arts centre available to stage the production. In the case of ‘Oliver!” this has resulted in the added challenge of being restricted on the number of performances they can hold, being required to build a stage and having to overcome the problem of storing expensive equipment.

Principal Characters

Oliver: Benjamin Paradice
Fagin: Marcus Garrett
Nancy: Rebecca Erskine
Mr. Brownlow: Bill Spicer
Bill Sykes: Brian Shaw
Mr Bumble: Jeff Taylor
Widow Corney: Leonie Rogers
The Artful Dodger: Justin Boyle
Mr Sowerberry: Allan Boyle
Mrs Sowerberry: Louise Chapman-Stokes
Charlotte Sowerberry: Isabella Hardy
Noah Claypoole: Angus Hobbs-Haigh

Performance Dates:
Thursday 6th Sept 7:30pm
Friday 7th Sept 7:30pm
Saturday 8th Sept 7:30pm
Sunday 9th Sept 5:00pm Matinee
Wednesday 12th Sept 7:30pm
Friday 14th Sept 7:30pm
Saturday 15th Sept 5:00pm Matinee

Venue: Muswellbrook Workers Club Auditorium, Sydney St, Muswellbrook.

Tickets: $25 each, available from the Muswellbrook Workers Club.

'Oliver!' Rehearsals

Website: Visit MATS Inc http://www.facebook.com/mat.sinc and “Add Friend”

More Information: Ryan Langford 0488 978 286

Rated: Parental Guidance Recommend.

This production of “Oliver!” was made possible by the generous support of: Macquarie Generation (Major), Mt Arthur Coal, Harsco Infrastructure (Donation of stage materials) Bengalla Coal, Xstrata Mangoola Coal, Muswellbrook District Workers Club and Hunter Mutual.